WSOP HAS GROWN INTO A SERIOUS BUSINESS
July 29, 2006
Posted by Sue in : General , add a comment
Paul McGuire / Special to FOXSports.com
The winner of the 2006 World Series of Poker Championship will walk away $10 million richer as the next superstar of poker.
Just ask the last three world champions, Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer or Chris Moneymaker, about how their lives instantly changed after winning the most prestigious poker tournament in the world. Amidst the bright flashing lights of Las Vegas, the poker’s elite are treated like rock stars and cultural icons due to the viral popularity of No Limit Texas Hold’em.
Players from all over the planet are converging onto the Rio Casino in Las Vegas for a shot at fame, glory, and $10 million. The Amazon Room in the convention center at the Rio hosts the carnival-like atmosphere of the WSOP. The tournament area, which is the size of an airplane hangar, represents one of the largest poker rooms in the world. The action has been non-stop as tournaments, satellites and cash games have been running for over four weeks.
The sound of clattering chips echo out into the corridor leading up to the poker room. Over the loudspeaker, a booming voice tells players when their seat to a specific cash game is available. Cocktail waitresses fight for position to deliver imported beers, water, and Red Bulls to the players, while chip runners sprint from the cage to the cash game tables. You can hear players verbally display their reactions when they get sucked out on the river by a one outer or survive a desperate all in attempt with a short stack. Floor managers referee disputes between players, often giving them ten minute penalties for unruly behavior and excessive usage of profanity. In the media room or at the nearest bar, reporters from various news organizations willingly exchange gossip and chip counts of different players. In the hallways and in the bathrooms you can overhear players recant their bad beat stories and other tales of how they lost all of their chips.
MORE – Read the complete article at FOXSports.com
CelebPoker.com Hosting 4 New Poker Tournaments That Could Land Someone in Austria, Spain, England and Aboard a Mediterranean Cruise Ship
July 29, 2006
Posted by Sue in : General , add a comment
(PRWEB) July 28, 2006 — This year has seen some major poker tournaments taking place. Two events in the United States have featured prize pools of over 5 million dollars. Players are continually looking for the next big game and a chance to take their seat and a shot at greatness. CelebPoker.com is announcing the start of their fall 2006 tournament schedule by adding four massive new tournaments around the globe.
The first event players have the opportunity to be a part of is the “World Speed Championship”. CelebPoker.com is sending players to this prestigious event in London, England. Like the World Series of Poker this is a televised event that will gain mass media attention and feature a healthy prize pool. The prize is a $5,000 package including £2,000 entry to the tournament and approximately $1,200 in hotel accommodations. Seats can be won via the satellites running over the next six weeks, which give entry into one of two online finals taking place on Sunday 30th July and Sunday 20th August at 19:30GMT.
The famous “Austrian Classics” is taking place at the Concord Card Casino in Vienna, Austria. It commences on the 28th of September. The prize is a $5,700 package including 3,300€ entry to the No-Limit Main Event tournament. To sweeten the deal CelebPoker.com is adding $1,400 in accommodation and travel money. Players can win a seat via the satellites running over the next eight weeks online, which give entry to one of the $410 online finals on the 20th of August & the 17th of September 2006 at 17:30 GMT.
Spain has become quite the hot place for high stakes poker games over the past few years. The European Poker Tour is a major event that boasts some of the biggest names in poker. CelebPoker.com is sending players to the Barcelona Open Main Event. The tournament is taking place between 13th and 16th of September 2006. The event will be held at the Casino Barcelona in Spain starting the 13th of September. The prize package is an $8,000 total value including a 5,000€ entry into the No-Limit Main Event tournament & $1,500 accommodation money.
This October get ready to sail the open seas while playing no-limit poker on board of a beautiful cruise chip. This dream come true of a vacation, courtesy of CelebPoker.com, can be yours for as a little as $6 online. This fantastic Poker Cruise is taking place between the 14th and the 21st of October. The event will be held while sailing round the Mediterranean for 8 days. The prize is a $6,000 package including entry into the 1,100€ No-Limit Tournament and the 770€ Limit Hold’em events. Accommodation for two people with a balcony, and $1,000 travel & spending money are included. Players can win a seat via the satellites running over the next five weeks which give entry to one of the $430 online finals on the 27th of August 2006. Affordable $6 satellites will run every day at 12:30 AM, 6:30 PM, and 8:30 PM GMT. Winners of the daily satellites will win entry into the weekly Sunday $48 final at 6:30 PM GMT to compete for a $430 seat in the online final.
All the tournaments can be found at CelebPoker.com now. Please check the website for times and details on how you can become involved and take your shot at progressing to the finals at each of these events.
WSOP OFFICIAL A REAL ACE IN THE HOLE
July 19, 2006
Posted by Sue in : General , add a comment
LAS VEGAS SUN
Today: July 19, 2006 at 7:40:31 PDT
Jeff Haney
Jeff Haney on the best way to handle three stooges trying to cheat
After watching how well a floor supervisor handled a potentially inflammatory situation this week at the Rio, I’m convinced officials with the World Series of Poker are doing everything they can to stamp out the form of cheating known as collusion.
Collusion occurs when two or more players work together as a team to win more money from their opponents . It’s costly and unfair to the honest players.
Only a smart aleck would suggest things were better in the old days when poker players brought .357 Magnums to the table and colluders ended up beneath a Joshua tree in the desert. Still, colluders should be dealt with harshly by the authorities when they’re caught.
In this case, they were. And World Series officials deserve credit.
The incident took place at a one-table, 10-player no-limit Texas hold ‘em “satellite” – a minitournament where the winner earns cash or chips that can be used to enter bigger tournaments at the World Series.
Each player started with $1,000 in tournament chips. Early in the satellite, one of the colluders raised $950, and everyone folded around the two other teammates, who both went all-in for their $1,000.
The original raiser then folded – a bizarre play that would never be made unless something was fishy.
The two all-in players then each revealed a “junk” hand. Obviously, the three were working together, attempting to “dump” chips to one of the two players who stayed in the hand. In a one-table satellite, a stack of $2,000 or $3,000 is far more powerful than two or three separate stacks of $1,000 working together. That’s why cheaters collude to dump chips to a teammate.
The table’s honest players (full disclosure: I was one of them) immediately protested and called for a floor person.
TigerGaming.com Sponsors Children’s Charity Event in Quebec, Canada
July 16, 2006
Posted by Sue in : General , add a comment
Popular online cardroom TigerGaming.com proudly announces that it is to sponsor a charity Texas Hold’em tournament with proceeds going to the Brandon-Jonathan Teresi (BJT) Foundation in Quebec, Canada.
Limassol, Cyprus (PRWEB) July 15, 2006 — Popular online cardroom TigerGaming.com – www.tigergaming.com – proudly announces that it is to sponsor a charity Texas Hold’em tournament with proceeds going to the Brandon-Jonathan Teresi (BJT) Foundation in Quebec, Canada.
The BJT Foundation – www.bjtfoundation.org – is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for research in finding a cure for a rare condition called Mitochondria Disease that primarily affects young children.
The charity event is to be held on August 18th, 2006 at Riviera Réception & Congrès – www.rivierareceptions.com and the schedule is as follows:
6:30 pm Registration, Cocktails and Practice Tables Open
7:30 pm Tournament Begins
Player fee:$150.00 in advance (or $200.00 at the door)
Includes:$1,000.00 Chip Stack
Cocktails, Entertainment and 2 Drinks
Re-Buys:$30.00 for $1,000.00 Chips (1st hour only)
Add-On:$60.00 for $3,000.00 Chips (During break, one per person)
The tournament’s grand prize is a seat to the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament in Las Vegas worth approximately $15,000. Starting July 17th, online satellite tournaments will be held daily at TigerGaming.com with a $15+$0 buy-in for a chance to win a seat at the charity event’s Hold’em tournament.
The BJT Foundation TigerGaming.com Charity Texas Hold’em Tournament will also feature comedian Joe Cacchione and plenty of fun, pampering and shopping for the ladies. All proceeds will benefit the Genetics Department of the Sainte Justine’s Hospital.
Only people 18 and over are eligible for tickets.
Qualify for a seat in TigerGaming.com’s daily 10-handed tournament tables running July 17th – August 15th.
Alternatively, to purchase tickets directly, please contact the venue at: 7600 Henri-Bourassa Blvd. East Anjou, Quebec Tel : 514.791.5572
WPT Enterprises Concludes Agreement With CyberArts for Technology to Re-Launch Online Business
July 14, 2006
Posted by Sue in : General , add a comment
Tuesday June 27, 9:10 am ET
LOS ANGELES, June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE – News) today announced that it has reached an agreement with CyberArts — a Silicon Valley company that has developed one of the world’s most advanced online software solutions for poker — to provide technology and software for re-launching WPTE’s online gaming business.
“This relationship will make it possible for us get to market faster with a superior product,” said Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of WPTE. “Now, like most companies that have been successful in the online gaming space, we will be able to build a unique offering and control our own destiny. We have been searching for a powerful alternative to our current technology for some time and are convinced that this is the perfect solution.”
CyberArts, the designer of the software that currently powers the poker room for Mansion.com, has long been established as a pioneer in gaming technology. Building upon a ten-year history of developing and operating GamesGrid, the world’s first graphical online backgammon club, CyberArts set out to build a ground-breaking platform to support the next generation of online gaming. The company has customized its unique platform for sophisticated marketers requiring strong branding capabilities, flexible and innovative functionality, and support for multiple languages and currencies.
Chris Derossi, co-founder and CEO of CyberArts explains, “We are very excited about the prospect of providing the product that can take the WORLD POKER TOUR®’S online poker offering to the next level. We believe our Foundation Software, coupled with WPT’s innovation and commitment to the poker player will create an unmatched gaming site.”
Derossi is known in the poker world as the co-author of “Winning at Internet Poker for Dummies,” one of the popular titles from the ” … for Dummies” series. He has more than 20 years of leadership at top technology companies including Apple Computers, where he served as chief architect of OS 7 before starting CyberArts. The project will be managed by the company’s co-founders Derossi and Ken Arnold.
(more…)
